Kenny MacAskill reported over Megrahi

SCOTLAND’S justice secretary and top law officer have been reported to a worldwide organisation of prosecutors following concerns about the handling of Lockerbie bombing inquiries.

Pressure group Justice for Megrahi wants the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) to look at Kenny MacAskill and Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland’s “objectivity and independence” in dealing with allegations against the Crown Office and police.

The move is part of a wider campaign for an independent inquiry into the conviction of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in December 1988. In a submission to Holyrood’s justice committee, group secretary Robert Forrester stated: “This latest international complaint makes it even more important that our petition remains a live issue within the Scottish Parliament.”

Justice for Megrahi alleges four breaches, covering independence, impartiality, professional conduct and role in criminal proceeding.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Mr al-Megrahi was convicted in a court of law and the Scottish ministers are clear that a court is the only appropriate forum for considering all the evidence in the case.”